ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rush · mug · cold · trunk · saw · bark · staff · ball

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mug — a cup
  7. ball — a dance
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — not warm
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mug — a face
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com